THIS week, Southport's MP Damien Moore was in the House of Commons Chamber to welcome the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, to deliver an unprecedented Budget for growth.
The Chancellor opened his speech by announcing that due to prudent financial management by the Conservative Government, inflation would be down to 2.9% by the end of the year, avoiding a technical recession in the UK, despite global inflationary pressures caused by Covid and Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine.
With this improved backdrop to the public finances, the Chancellor was able to announce that the energy price guarantee would continue at £2,500 for an additional 3 months, saving the average household an additional £160 on their energy bill and bringing the total savings on energy bills to £1,500 since 2022.
The Chancellor outlined his plan to encourage people back to work, removing unfair taxes limiting pensions on hard-working doctors and nurses, and providing 30 hours a week of free childcare for working parents of children aged 9 months to 4 years.
For those families on Universal Credit, the Chancellor announced that they would now receive their childcare costs upfront, rather than after the fact and that the maximum entitlement per child would increase, further supporting people back into the workplace, as ultimately work is the best route out of financial hardship.
The Chancellor’s budget outlined further ways in which the disabled and long-term sick will be supported, with the launch of a new Universal Support program, which will match those who want to work with existing job vacancies, tailored to their needs. This is in addition to the plan to abolish the Work Capability Assessment and increase the Administrative Earning Threshold to 18 hours, both of which are designed to help people back into work, and ultimately increase the cash in their pockets.
Mr. Moore is particularly encouraged by the pensions’ announcement, which the Chancellor has made clear is anticipated to ensure that doctors and nurses remain in the workforce for longer, and ultimately will increase the number of healthcare appointments available to Southport residents.
This is an issue Mr. Moore feels passionately about, as he is aware from conversations with his constituents how hard it can be to see a doctor or dentist, an issue he has written repeatedly to the Department for Health about in order to ensure this problem is fixed for his constituents.
Finally, given Southport’s strong hospitality sector, Mr. Moore was very pleased to welcome the Chancellor’s “Brexit Pub Guarantee,” which by ensuring that draught duty will always be less than duty in supermarkets, will ensure that residents and tourists continue to flock to Southport’s independent, local establishments, rather than merely buying beer from supermarkets. Crucially, this change was only possible due to the UK’s exit from the European Union.
While Mr. Moore has welcomed these measures and will vote for the Chancellor’s Budget in Parliament next Tuesday, he has been clear that he believes more needs to be done to support local business, including by cutting business rates and corporation tax, which will ensure that Southport remains a desirable place to invest.
Damien Moore, Member of Parliament for Southport, said:- “I welcome the measures announced by the Chancellor in yesterday’s budget. By helping families with immediate costs, the Conservative Government can press on with halving inflation, growing the economy, and reducing debt to improve living standards for everyone. It is right that we remove barriers that stop hard-working healthcare workers from doing their jobs and support all those with young children, or who are disabled or long-term sick, back into the workplace. It is particularly encouraging to see the Chancellor reflect on many of the issues I and other MPs have brought to him from our constituents, such as the lack of availability of health appointments, or the struggle of making ends meet, and to see him reflect this in his budget. More needs to be done to support local business, but it is welcome that we are taking advantage of Brexit to introduce reforms that ultimately benefit Southport’s hospitality industry. I will continue to press the Chancellor to do more for Southport’s businesses and families.”
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt MP, said:-
On return to work:- “Getting more people into work is vital to achieving our 3 promises: to halve inflation, grow the economy, and reduce debt. This package will help thousands of parents back into work as we push to grow our economy.”
On support for families:- “As we deliver on these promises, we are helping families with the cost of living immediately. A recovering economy will mean reduced inflation and lower mortgage rates, more affordable food and energy, and support for the NHS so people get the care they need more quickly.”
On support for business:- “With a stronger economy, we will be able to strengthen communities and level up left behind areas, seize the opportunities of Brexit, protect Britain’s long-term interests, and restore pride in our country.”
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